Shaking the medicine bottle

Sandra and I met with my psychiatrist yesterday afternoon and reviewed the effect of the increased Imipramine for the last 30 days. The results weren't impressive. I've been drifting along between kinda-ok and not-so-good, which is disappointing, given the clear progress that I was making after my hospitalization.

So, we decided to take some new steps:

• I will start Lamictal today. Lamictal is a mood stabilizer that, the doctor believes, works well on the depressive cycles.
• I will also stop taking Imipramine to clear my system in preparation for starting Monoamine oxidase inhibitor (MAOIs). In a couple of weeks, we'll try Emsam, an MAOI that's delivered via a transdermal patch and so doesn't have the same stringent dietary restrictions as the meds that are taken orally.

Because of the slow increases of both Lamictal and Emsam, it may be a couple of months before I can feel the full benefit, if any, from these meds.

In the meantime, I will also resume ECT. I'll have a treatment next Wednesday.